Philosopher wins science funding

A philosopher for science:
Working on a National Science Foundation grant, philosopher Matthew Haug will be investigating the relationship between the mind and the body through researching the trends between philosophic naturalism and metaphysics.

Haug to probe boundaries of the mental and physical

by Isshin Teshima
| May 10, 2010

A recent grant from the
National Science Foundation could help researchers gain a better understanding
of how to properly treat mental disorders.

Matthew Haug, assistant
professor of philosophy at William & Mary, recently received the NSF
Scholar's Award grant in the amount of $137,297.

"One of the coolest
things about being at William & Mary is being surrounded
by superb professors like Matt Haug, who can reach out to
the National Science Foundation and bring home major
funding for research in philosophy," said Dennis Manos, vice provost
for research at the College.

Haug's research aims to
further investigate the relationship between the mind and body of an individual
by researching the trends between philosophic naturalism and metaphysics.

When completed, Haug's
research will benefit other philosophers as well as the medical field by
helping to better understand the boundary of the physical and mental properties
of the human body. Haug explained the research could solve questions as to how
widespread mental disorders should be treated and whether current treatments
are deficient in any way.

"My hope is that the
project provides the theoretical resources to clarify, and help resolve, public
policy debates about the appropriate uses of pharmaceuticals, cognitive
enhancement and genetic therapies," Haug said. "It may reveal limitations of
these treatments in a way that is consistent with the view that we are physical
creatures. Thus, the results of this project will likely be of interest to
neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, psychiatrists, and behavioral
geneticists, as well as philosophers."

In a branch of the NSF
in which 75 percent of proposals get rejected initially and first-time proposal
rejection rates are even higher, Haug said that the notification of an award
was breathtaking.

While NSF grants in
philosophy are uncommon, Haug knew it was still a possibility. Haug also
received an NSF grant while a graduate student at Cornell University. But this
was the first time he applied for a Scholar's Award.

"I'm delighted to have
won the grant," Haug said. "I didn't expect it."

Haug intends to use the
grant money to fund his research throughout the 2010-2011 academic year. The
funding will support his work as well as the hiring of a part-time
undergraduate assistant who will assist in a literature review of the research.